China Travel 2.0

Li Huijuan,a local friend wrote the following introduction. She was a volunteer in the SEE organization(one of the well-known NGOs in china focused in the environmental protection and sustainable development).

1. Alxa district
Alxa(Mongolia name, the meaning is an imaginary palce) League (the Mongolian territory unit, same as prefecture) lies in western Inner Mongolia, covering a total area of 270,000 square km. Alxa Left Banner, Alxa Right Banner and Erjinar Banner are three sub administrative regions of Alxa League.  Bardan Jilin, Tengoli and Ulanbo, the three deserts and desertification area of Alxa, cover 93.15 percent of the total area. The sand storm originated from the Alxa League spreads to Beijing, South Korea even to Japan and western coast of America.

This trip we are going to Alxa Left Banner, and the middle city is named Bayan Haote(Mongolia name, the meaning is a rich city).With an area of 80,000 square km. There are 150,000 people live here, including Mongolian, Han, Hui, Zang nationalities. Alxa Left Banner is a very beautiful place with rich in resources and product.

2Moonlake
Moonlake is located in Tengli desert . It is made of many desert springs. Vast desert , camel ring, sunset, moonlight, fresh air, blue sky and peaceful feeling give you the answer of the deep meaning of the sunset in desert. Moonlake has three difference: first, her shape like a map of china if you look it from above, and she also like half-moon, so we call it moonlake; second, the water in lake is rich in  Potassium salt, Manganese salt, Nature soda and other microelement. it is good for  medicated bath and has high Biological purification capacity which can improve and resume nature ecological state; third, thousands black sand, length 1 km, width 500 m,thickness more 10 m. It’s quality more better than Dead Sea’s black mud.

3. Swan lake
Swan lake is also located in east edge of Tengli desert. There are many desert date , unknow flowers and many birds. If we are luck we can see some swan, but now because of human’s life and development,it is being affected the swan’ habitat, the swan is more difficult to see. And Unfortunately, all the trees, grass, flower maybe are not sprout in this season. But we can appreciate the clear lake water, rising and falling sand dunes, walking in desert.

4 emples and Helan Mountain
The temples is at foot of Helan Mountain, also named Fuyin temple, it is a Tibetan temple. Many Mongolia people climb Helan Mountain and do a Mongolia sacrifice with their best wishes in the Chinese traditional calendar 3th June every year.

Helan Mountain have many pines, animals, bird, so you can’t imagine there are leafy forests in this drought district. It is also famous for the special shaped stones. The nature changes blocks of stone into many lifelike artwork. Some looks like person, some like animals or bird, some like statuses, with different posture. The virgin forest and high mountain with the song of birds and curl of stone path will attractive you.

That’s all. And I hope you will have a nice trip!

Tags: alashan, helan mt, Inner Mongolia, moon lake, swan lake, yinchuan